by Amanda Mayle | Jun 5, 2020 | News
Our Masks are Our Passport to the Colorado We Love
A new campaign encourages Coloradans to wear masks as much as possible when they leave the house, you can watch the public service announcement in the video player above.
In a news conference Thursday, Governor Polis said, “here in our great state, your mask is your passport to the Colorado we love, and will play an important part in keeping yourself and those around you safe. Studies show that men are particularly reluctant to wear a mask, because they think it makes them look weak or uncool. But real weakness is being too insecure to wear a mask and then spreading coronavirus to your family when you get back home. At the end of the day, wearing a mask allows us to enjoy more of the Colorado we love.”
Gov. Polis also signed Executive Order D 2020 092, amending and extending prior Executive Orders concerning non-medical face coverings, to provide discretion to employers and operators of places of public accommodation to deny admittance or service and require the removal of any individual who fails to wear a medical or non-medical face covering. This Executive Order takes effect immediately.
by Amanda Mayle | May 13, 2020 | News
Mesa County Public Health (MCPH) will begin offering serological, or antibody, testing for COVID-19. This is a blood test that looks for antibodies in your blood. It can detect the body’s immune response to the infection caused by the virus, rather than detecting the virus itself.
Mesa County Public Health plans to use the tests for epidemiological purposes, broadening our understanding of the timeline and impacts of COVID-19 in our community. “Our case counts have remained low, leaving many to believe they may have been exposed to COVID-19 even earlier than when the first case in Mesa County was detected,” Jeff Kuhr Executive Director, Mesa County Public Health, said. “These tests will help us put together a more complete picture of the virus in our local community, and could provide valuable information to help us plan should another wave of illness hit in the months ahead.”
It is important to note, as we learn more about this novel coronavirus, these types of tests should be used for research, not diagnostic purposes. That means regardless of the result you get, you should continue to take preventive measures. Much is still unknown about how long immunity may last following COVID-19, so we caution patients to not use this test, or the results they may get, as a false sense of security.
Only certain types of antibody tests are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The test MCPH is using is approved under the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization and results are available within a few days.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies are distributing rapid test kits to detect antibodies, these tests have not been evaluated or approved for this type of use. Additionally, antibody tests may cross-react with other respiratory viruses resulting in false-positive results.
Mesa County Public Health will do blood draws by appointment. Fill out this form for pricing and to be contacted for scheduling.
by Amanda Mayle | Apr 26, 2020 | COVID19
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has tripled the number of symptoms that could be indicators of coronavirus, including muscle pain, headache, and new loss of taste or smell. The initial three key symptoms were shortness of breath, fever, and a cough.
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild to severe illness.
These symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus:
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
Older adults and those with underlying medical conditions continue to be at higher risk for serious complications from the virus. Doctors are studying other symptoms that patients have complained about, including what are known as “COVID toes.”
One of the most challenging elements about the virus is how it can be deadly in some patients and asymptomatic in others, who can still spread the disease.
Have these or other symptoms?
Mesa County Public Health (MCPH) is collecting data in our community surrounding COVID-19, and wants to hear from you. Enter information in our symptom tracker to help us continue to understand how this illness is impacting Mesa County.
MCPH Symptom Tracker
Español Symptom Tracker
Check the Mesa County Public Health Daily Update for this and other information daily on COVID-19 and how the virus is impacting on our community. You can view the daily update on the COVID-19 page of health.mesacounty.us
